Combined hoist and pouring stand for containers



COMBINED HOIST AND POURING STAND FOR CONTAINERS Filed March 25, 1952 J. E. HOUGHT March 2, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. 1.

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ING STAND FOR CONTAINERS March 2, 1954 COMBINED HOIST AND POUR 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 25, 1952 INVENTOR. dfl/WES E. Hove/x7:

Patented Mar. 2, 1954 OFFICE COMBINED HOIST AND POURI NG STAND FOR CONTAINERS James E. Hought, Eugene, Oreg. Application March 25, 1952, Serial No. 278,363

4 Claims.

This invention relates to a mechanism adapted to provide a hoist and pouring stand for heavy containers, such as five and ten-gallon containers of milk, cream, and other liquids such as those used in the manufacture of icecream.

In many industries, large containers, holdin substantial quantities of liquid, are utilized, and it is necessary, in said industries, to pour the contents of one container into a second container. It will be readily appreciated that this duty is in many instances time consuming and fatiguing, since a heavy container holding a subtantial quantity of liquid must be elevated, and then tilted to a pouring position.

For example, in ice cream plants, duties of the character referred to are required almost continuously, and such duties prove arduous, particularly when they must be performed by women, as is often the case.

In view of the above, it is the broad object of the present invention to provide a combined hoist and pouring stand for heavy containers, that will be so designed as to elevate a container to a selected position, and then permit the tilting of the container to a pouring position.

Another important object is to provide a hoist of the character referred to wherein means is provided for elevating the container to any elevation selected therefor, thus to permit the contents of the container to be poured into containers varying in height.

Still another important object is to provide, in a device of the character stated, means adapted to limit tiltable movement of the container between a normal, upstanding position thereof, and a pouring position, said means being so formed as to permit the container to be tilted to any selected angle of inclination up to and including an angle of inclination that will be effective to dispose the bottom of the container at a higher level than the neck thereof, thus to assure the pouring of the full container contents. Yet another important object is to provide, in a hoist and pouring stand as stated, a carrier for a, container so formed as to permit the container to be slidreadily into proper position upon said carrier, said carrier including means adjustable into container-engaging and disengaging positions respectively, and designed to preclude accidental dropping of the container from the carrier supporting the same. i I

Summarized briefly, the invention includes a stationary supporting frame having a pair of spaced, upstanding standards. A carriage is mounted for sliding movement upon said-standards, said carriage being adapted for vertical adjustment to any of a plurality of selected elevations. Mounted pivotally upon the carriage is a tiltable carrier adapted for supporting a container, said carrier being swingable between a normal vertical position and an inclined position in which it will dispose a supported container for pouring of the contents of the container into another, adjacent container. The carrier is so mounted upon the carriage, in this connection, as to permit the carrier to be tilted to any of a plurality of selected angles of 'inclination, this being desirable'fortthe purpose of permitting tiltable. adjustment of the container to different angles depending upon the quantity of the contents remaining therein. Interengaging between the carriage and carrier are stop means that limit tiltable movement of the carrier between a normal, vertical position and a maximum angle of inclination.

Other objects will appear from the following description, the claims appended thereto,."and from the annexed drawing, in which like reference characters designate like parts throughout the several views, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of acombined hoist and pouring stand formed in accordance with the present invention, a supported container being illustrated in dotted lines;

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the device, the supported container again being illustrated in dotted lines;

Figure 3 is a front elevational view, taken fromv the right of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a rear elevational view, the left of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken on line 5-5 of Figure 4; and

Figure 6 is a vertical sectional view wherein the carrier and its supported container have been tilted to a selected angle of inclination, for pouring of the container contents into another adjacent container which has been illustrated in dotted lines. I 1

Referring to the drawings in detail, the invention includes a stationary supporting frame designated generally by the reference numeral ill. The frame is provided with a flat, generally rectangular base l2, and it will be understood that said base can, if desired, bebolted or-other- Wise fixedly secured to a floor or other supporting surface, not shown. At one end, thebase is provided with a beveled edge l3, so as to permit a container A to he slid onto and off the base. I

Extending vertically from the respective side taken from edges of the base l2, substantially at the midlength portion of the base, are upstanding standards l4, said standards being rigid at their lower ends with horizontally disposed brace members IS. The brace members iii are fixedly secured to the base l2 in any suitable manner, and extending between the members I5 is a crossbrace I8, that is fixedly secured to the members in any suitable manner. The crosspiece or brace 18, in this connection, is provided at opposite ends thereof with outwardly extending ears that overlie the respective members It.

For the purpose of rigidifying the connection of the standards I4 to the base 12, I provide angle brackets 22, that are screwed to both the standards and the base I2.

At its upper end, the frame it provided with a header 24 extending between and fixedly connected to the upper ends of the standards 1 i.

From the description which has so far been provided, it will be apparent that the supporting fin-me "is of rigid construct-ion throughout, said frame being adapted tosupport'the movable parts of the device.

One movable part of the device is a vertically adjustable carriage designated generally by the reference numeral 25, said carriage including vertically disposed support plates '28 positioned against the inner surfaces of the respective standards 14. The support plates 28, on their outer surfaces, are provided with elongated, vertically disposed, guide tongues (Figure 6) said tongues being slidable in vertically extended grooves 32 formed in the inner surfaces of the standards :14, and extending forwardly from top to bottom of the standards.

As will benoted from Figure 6, each of the support plates 28 has vertically spaced recesses 34, 35 formed in one vertical edge thereof. The recess 34 has one wall that is disposed vertically, the recess 36 having one of its walls inclined, as at 38.

Centrally provided upon the respective support plates 28 are pivot pins 40, said pins extending toward one another from the respective support plates, and extending through the central portions of the respective side walls 42 of a container carrier designated generally by the reference numeral 4|. The carrier 4!, as will be noted from Figure 5, is of substantially U-shaped formation when viewed in top plan, said carrier having a connecting wall 44 that extends between and is "fixedly secured to the respective side walls 42.

Projecting laterally from the side walls 42, at the upper ends of said side walls, are cars 46, said ears being extended in opposite directions and constituting extensions of the front wall '44.

) As will be noted from Figure 2, in one position to which the carrier 4| is swingably adjusted relative to the carriage 26, the cars '46 will engage the vertical walls of the upper recesses 34 of the respective support plates 28. Thus, a stop means is provided that interengages between the carriage and carrier to limit movement of the carrier beyond a normal, vertical position illustrated in Figure 2.

When, however, the carrier is tilted, the swinging movement of the carrier away from its normal, vertical position will be limited by engagement of the cars 46 against the inclined walls 38 7 of the lower recesses of the support plates.

It will be noted, in this regard, that the cars 45 are so disposed as to be radially offset from the pivot axis of the carrier -4i,.and it will also be noted that the vertical walls of the upper recesses 34 and the inclined walls 38 of the lower recesses 36 are correspondingly offset radially of said pivot axis, so as to engage said cars 46 in the respective, extreme positions to which the carrier 4! is swung.

Means is provided on the carrier for supporting a container A in a proper position when the carrier is tilted to a selected angle of inclination. To this end, a container support bar 50 is provided, said bar extending between the upper ends of the respective support plates 28 at the intersection of said support plates with the connecting wall 44', the bar being formed with an indentation 50 disposed medially between the opposite ends thereof and adapted to receive the correspondingly curved. upper portion of the container A.

To provide a support for the lower end of the container A, I provide angular support brackets 52, that are secured to the inner surfaces of the side walls 42 at the lower ends of said side walls, said brackets being adapted to engage the lower end of the container so as to provide a rest therefor. It will be noted, in this connection, that the support brackets 52 are so arranged (Figure 4) as to permit a container A to be slid over the beveled edge I3 of the base 12 onto the carrier 4i, without requiring the physical lifting of the container.

For the purpose of adjusting the carriage 25 upwardly to a selected elevation, a pair of cables 54 are connected at their lower ends to the upper ends of the support plates .28, said cables extending along the inner surfaces of the standards ['4 and being trained over pulleys 56 secured to the I upper ends of said standards. After being trained about the pulleys '56, the cables 54 are extended through slots .58 (Figure 1) formed in the header 2'4, and are thereafter wound about the drum of a conventional winch an mounted upon a winch support bracket 62 disposed medially between the opposite ends of the header 24. It will be understood, in this connection, that the cable winding means can be of any suitable type, a hand operated winch being illustrated merely by way of example.

When a container A is to be slid onto the carrier 41, a bail 64, that is pivotally joined at its opposite ends to the respective side walls 42, is swung upwardly. After the container has been properly located upon the carrier, the bail '64 is swung downwardly and. will prevent the container A from falling ofi the carrier during the elevation of the carriage to the desired position.

In use, a container B into which the contents of the container A are to be poured is located upon the base l2 as shown in Figure 6. Thereafter, the container A is pushed onto the carrier 4|, and the carriage 26 is elevated to a desired extent.

When the carriage 25 has been elevated as desired, it will remain in the selected position to which it is adjusted upwardly upon the supporting frame Ill, due to the usual pawl and ratchet means provided on the winch 60.

Thereafter, the user tilts the container A and carrier 4! to a selected angle of inclination, so as to cause the contents of the container A to be poured into the container B.

It will be noted, in this regard, that if the container A is full of liquid, the initial tilting thereof would not be great, since excessive tilting at this time would cause the contents to be poured out at too rapid a rate.

As the level of the container contents within the container A is lowered, the carrier 4! is tilted to an increasingly greater angle of inclination, and if necessary, the carriage 26 is adjusted to a higher elevation to permit the additional tilting movement of the carrier 4| In the final position to which the carrier 4| would be swung during emptying of the contents of the container A, the cars 46 would be brought into engagement with the inclined wall 38 of the lower recess 36 of each support plate 28, and in this position of the carrier 4|, the container contents would be completely emptied.

It is considered to be an important characteristic of the invention that the tilting of the container is accomplished with maximum ease and facility, and requires little effort on the part of the worker. As will be noted, when the container A is first positioned upon the carrier 4!, it will be so balanced relative to the pivot axis of the carrier as to force the ears 46 into engagement with the vertical wall 34 of the upper recesses. This holds the container in a completely vertical position during upward adjustment of the carriage 26.

It is believed clear that the invention is not necessarily confined to the specific use or uses thereof described above, since it may be utilized for any purpose to which it may be suited. Nor is the invention to be necessarily limited to the specific construction illustrated and described, since such construction is only intended to be illustrative of the principles of operation and the means presently devised to carry out said principles, it being considered that the invention comprehends any minor change in construction that may be permitted within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A combined hoist and pouring stand for heavy containers comprising: a supporting frame; a carriage mounted on said frame for vertical adjustment to selected elevations and including a pair of spaced support plates slidably mounted on said frame; a carrier adapted to support a container and pivotally mounted on and between the respective support plates to swing, at an elevation selected for the carriage, between upstanding and inclined positions respectively, for tiltable adjustment of a container supported on the carrier to and from a pouring position, each of said plates having a pair of vertically spaced recesses; and ears projecting laterally from opposite sides of the carrier and disposed for engagement in the upper recesses of the plates in the upstanding carrier position and in the lower recesses of the plates in the inclined carrier position, said ears and recesses constituting stop means effective to limit swinging movement of the carrier in either direction beyond said upstanding and inclined positions thereof.

2. A combined hoist and pouring stand for heavy containers comprising: a supporting frame; a carriage mounted on said frame for vertical adjustment to selected elevations and including a pair of spaced support plates slidably mounted on said frame; a carrier adapted to support a container and pivotally mounted on and between the respective support plates to swing on a horizontal axis, at an elevation selected for the carriage, between vertical and inclined positions respectively, for tiltable adjustment of a container supported on the carrier to and from a pouring position, each of said plates having a pair of vertically spaced recesses formed in one edge thereof, the upper recess of each 75 plate having a vertical wall and the lower recess of each plate having an inclined wall; and ears projecting laterally from opposite sides of the carrier and disposed for engagement against the vertical walls of the upper recesses of the plates in the vertical carrier position and against the inclined walls of the lower recesses of the plates in the inclined carrier position, said ears and recesses constituting stop means effective to limit swinging movement of the carrier in either direction beyond said vertical and inclined po sitions thereof.

3. A combined hoist and pouring stand for heavy containers comprising: a supporting frame; a carriage mounted on said frame for adjustment to selected elevations and including a pair of spaced support plates slidably mounted on said frame for vertical movement, each of said plates having a pair of vertically spaced recesses formed in one edge thereof, the upper recess of each plate having a vertical wall and the lower recess of each plate having an inclined wall; a carrier adapted to support a container and pivotally mounted on and between the respective support plates to swing on a horizontal axis, at an elevation selected for the carriage, between vertical and inclined positions respectively, for tiltable adjustment of a container supported on the carrier to and from a pouring position, said carrier including a pair of spaced side walls pivotally connected to the respective support plates, a connecting wall extending between and fixedly secured to the respective side walls, support brackets at one end of the respective side walls adapted to provide a rest for a supported container, and a bail extending between and pivotally connected to the side walls in spaced relation to the connecting wall, said bail being swingable between container engaging and disengaging positions respectively; and ears projecting laterally from the respective side walls of the carrier and disposed for engagement against the vertical walls of the upper recesses of the plates in the vertical carrier position and against the inclined walls of the lower recesses of the plates in the inclined carrier position, said ears and recesses constituting stop means effective to limit swinging movement of the carrier in either direction beyond said vertical and inclined positions thereof.

4. A combined hoist and pouring stand for heavy containers, comprising: a supporting frame including a stationary base and spaced standards extending upwardly from the base and respectively formed with vertically extending grooves; a carriage mounted on said frame for adjustment to selected elevations and including a pair of spaced support plates provided with vertically extended guide tongues slidably engaged in the respective grooves, each of said plates having a pair of vertically spaced recesses formed in one edge thereof, the upper recess of each plate having a vertical wall and the lower recess of each plate having an inclined wall; means for adjusting said carriage upwardly and downwardly upon the standards, said means including cables connected at one end to the respective support plates, pulleys mounted at the upper ends of the respective standards and over which the respective cables are trained, and a winch mechanism disposed at the upper end of the frame and having said cables wound thereupon; a carrier adapted to support a container and pivotally mounted on and between the respective support plates to swing on a horizontal escapes axis, at :an elevation selected for the carriage, between vertical and inclined positions respectively, for tiltable adjustment of a container supported on the carrier to and from a. pouring position, said carrier including a pair of spaced side walls pivotally connected to the respective support plates, a connecting wall extending between and fixedly secured to the respective side walls, support brackets at one end of the respective side walls adapted to term a rest for a supported container, and a bail extending between and pivotally connected to the respective side walls in spaced relation to the connecting well, said bail being swingable between container engaging and disengaging positions respectively; and ears projecting laterally from opposite sides of the carrier and disposed for engagement against the vertical walls of the upper recesses of the plates in the vertical carrier position and againstthe inclined walls of the lower recesses of the ,platesin the inclined carrier position, said ears and recesses constituting stop means effective to limit swinging movement of the carrier in either direct-ionbeyond said vertical and inclined positions thereof.

JAMES E. HOUGHT.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 747,071 Hultgren Dec. 1'5, 1903 1,019,550 Stevely Mar. 5, 1912 1,426,503 Potter Aug. 22, 1922 1,686,607 'Freund et al. Oct. 9, 1928 1,341,253 Persin'ger Jan. 12, 1932 1,854,973 Bell Apr. 19, 1932 

